Joe Zullo

East Haven State Rep. Joe Zullo Promoted to Assistant Leader of Connecticut House Republican Caucus

HARTFORD — State Representative Joe Zullo (R-99), who represents the majority of the Town of East Haven in the Connecticut General Assembly, has been elevated to serve as an Assistant Leader of the House Republican Caucus, a leadership post that reflects Zullo’s growing role as an outspoken advocate for the policy priorities of residents across the State. The promotion was announced Wednesday by House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, who praised Zullo’s work ethic, commitment to East Haven, and growing voice in the legislature. “In district, Rep. Zullo has proven himself to be a reliable, trusted resource for his constituents. He’s maintained a strong presence in the Town’s schools, fostered an exceptional bipartisan relationship with local leaders, and proven to be a vigorous advocate for his community’s needs in the capitol. In Hartford, in his ranking member roles on both the Housing and Planning Development Committees, he firmly established himself as an outspoken, respected voice in our Chamber, particularly on the issues of affordability and on preserving local control of housing and zoning decisions,” said Candelora (R-North Branford). "Rep. Zullo has demonstrated a readiness and willingness to stand up for not only his constituents, but for all of the residents of Connecticut and this promotion reflects that fact.” Leader Candelora added, “Rep. Zullo understands the real-world impact of the laws we pass and he has his finger on the pulse of his community. He listens to his constituents and isn’t afraid to tackle tough issues. His leadership will strengthen our team and our ability to deliver results for the people of Connecticut.” Rep. Zullo, who has served in the legislature since February of 2019, has focused on a myriad of issues including property-tax relief, public safety, support for small businesses, and improving government accountability. Known locally for his hands-on approach and strong presence throughout his community, Zullo has built a reputation as an energetic advocate for working families, small businesses, and seniors. Zullo added, “I’m honored by the confidence Minority Leader Candelora has placed in me. This new role is an opportunity to fight even harder for East Haven, and for Connecticut taxpayers who are struggling with the State’s high cost of living. We need common sense policies that make our state more affordable, safer, and more welcoming to job creators and I’m prepared to leverage my voice and this new opportunity to continue fighting for those priorities.” As an “assistant leader,” Zullo will help guide caucus strategy, coordinate legislative initiatives, and work closely with members and other leaders to advance his caucus’s priorities during committee deliberations and floor debates. Candelora added, “Particularly over the past two legislative sessions, Rep. Zullo has become a respected voice on the House floor, offering candid, sharp, and meaningful context to debates and helping to advance our caucus’s priorities. He has also demonstrated an expanded influence on both social media and within policy circles. East Haven’s residents should be proud and reassured knowing they have a strong, respected voice advocating for them and shaping debate in Hartford.” Zullo’s new leadership position will also involve collaborating with other caucus leaders to foster outreach to municipal leaders and residents to ensure that local concerns remain at the forefront of state decision-making. Zullo took a bipartisan tone in addressing his outreach goals. “Good ideas don’t belong exclusively to one party,” Zullo said. “I maintain close relationships with local leaders, and with leaders across the aisle. Legislating is about building consensus and I will continue working with anyone who wants to make Connecticut a better place to live, work, and raise a family.” Zullo concluded, “I am humbled and grateful to Leader Candelora, and his entire leadership team, for this exciting opportunity. It is an awesome responsibility to advocate for my community in Hartford and I am appreciative to leader Candelora for the opportunity to do so now as a leader alongside him.” For additional information, visit www.repzullo.com .

Carfora, Zullo, Candelora, and Cicarella Unite in Condemnation of Nov. 30th Attack on East Haven Police Officer, Cruiser

EAST HAVEN — Mayor Joseph A. Carfora, State Rep. Joseph Zullo, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, and Sen. Paul Cicarella released the following joint statement Monday regarding the disturbing incident that occurred Nov. 30 at the ShopRite Plaza (713 Foxon Road) involving an unprovoked attack on an occupied, marked East Haven police cruiser: “In all respects, we stand united today to oppose and condemn the coordinated violence perpetrated against one of our East Haven police officers on November 30, 2025. This type of behavior is equal parts repugnant and cowardly. East Haven will not be intimidated, and we will not tolerate organized chaos that threatens the safety of residents or our officers.” Mayor Carfora added, “We have made unprecedented investments in our police department during my administration to ensure not only the safety of our community, but the safety of our personnel. My administration stands by our officers, not only today in the wake of this sad incident, but every day. I stand firmly with Chief Lennon and our department as they seek to root out and hold accountable those involved in this sad event. I am increasingly concerned and frustrated with the current state of our law enforcement policies in this state. Too often these policies restrain officers in ways that put them directly in harm’s way and deny them the ability to defend themselves with the strength and urgency the situation requires. It is unacceptable that the very people sworn to keep our community safe are restricted from taking the steps necessary to ensure their own safety. This cannot continue —something has to change." Rep. Joe Zullo (R, 99) added, “This was not a prank, or a gathering gone wrong, but a coordinated and targeted attack on a uniformed East Haven police officer and a deliberate attempt to terrorize our community. This conduct is criminal, dangerous, and has absolutely no place in East Haven or anywhere in our State or country. My first order of business upon resumption of session in February will be to seek legislation strengthening the penalties for cowards who engage in this type of heinous, reprehensible behavior. “ Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R, 86) added, “Masked individuals ambushing an officer, vandalizing a marked cruiser, and recklessly parading through multiple towns is the behavior of criminals—plain and simple. It is behavior reflective of policies in our State that have gone too far in diluting respect for law enforcement and undermining the safety and efficacy of our officers.”

New Laws Taking Effect July 1st

<p>On July 1st, 2025, there will be several new laws that address a variety of topics from public safety to education, and more. Please see a brief list highlighting some important laws below, and for a <em>full</em> list, please visit: <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/content/aeauto.asp">www.cga.ct.gov/asp/content/aeauto.asp</a></p> <p>JULY 1st NEW LAWS include:</p> <ul> <li>Public Act 23-21: Financial Literacy Instruction <ul> <li>Adds financial literacy credit to high school graduation requirements</li> </ul> </li> <li>PA 23-160: Education Mandate Relief <ul> <li>Reviews education laws to identify duplicative and obsolete mandates</li> <li>Establishes Education Mandates Review Task Force to review burdensome mandates</li> </ul> </li> <li>PA 24-148: Increasing Election Security <ul> <li>Implements video recording of absentee ballot boxes</li> <li>Ensures absentee ballot oversight and tracking</li> </ul> </li> <li>PA 25-15: Honoring the Military Service of Veterans and Armed Forces Members <ul> <li>Establishes November as &#8216;Veterans&#8217; Month&#8217;</li> </ul> </li> <li>PA 25-61: Fallen Hero Fund <ul> <li>Expands the &#8216;Fallen Officer Fund&#8217; to include aid to families of paramedics</li> </ul> </li> <li>PA 25-80: Street Takeover Crackdown <ul> <li>Allows municipalities to increase penalties on those who partake in offroad vehicle &#8216;takeovers&#8217; and permits towns to destroy confiscated vehicles</li> </ul> </li> <li>PA 25-67: Quality and Delivery of Special Education <ul> <li>Ensures special education program oversight and transparency</li> </ul> </li> <li>PA 25-159: Department of Motor Vehicles Safety Recommendations <ul> <li>Revises penalties for intoxicated driving</li> <li>Raises fines for those who disobey the &#8216;Move Over Law&#8217; on road work sites</li> </ul> </li> <li>PA 25-173: Addressing Energy Costs <ul> <li>Removes certain costs from the Public Benefits charge relieving ratepayers</li> <li>Revises PURA procedures to efficiently calculate rate costs and ensure more attention to ratepayer relief</li> </ul> </li> </ul>

CT Democrats to revise massive housing bill after Republican pushback

<p><em><strong>As published by NBC Connecticut and </strong></em><strong><em>Jayne Chacko</em></strong></p> <p>Democratic lawmakers are amending a massive housing bill that aims to build more affordable housing.</p> <p>The 92-page bill, titled &#8220;An Act Concerning Housing and the Needs of Homeless Persons,&#8221; is backed by the top Democrats in the house. They expected the legislation to be debated and possibly voted on Thursday night, but strong opposition sent lawmakers back to the drawing board.</p> <p>“Expected pushback,&#8221; said Rep. Jason Rojas (D &#8211; House Majority Leader). &#8220;Not a surprise to me that we needed to change our plans.&#8221;</p> <p>Rojas did not share what the amendments to the bill would be, but he expects it to be taken up again on Tuesday.</p> <p>“There were some additional changes that were submitted to us, requested of us, by my Republican colleagues on that side of the aisle and we were taking them into consideration,&#8221; he said.</p> <p>The Connecticut Business and Industry Association released a new report that found the state is short at least 100,000 units. The report found the state&#8217;s restrictive regulations played a big part in the shortage.</p> <p>The bill would allow developers to begin work without local planning and zoning approval on certain projects. One component allows a company to develop commercial property into at most nine units without planning and zoning approval. Another component says planning and zoning commissions shall not &#8220;reject an application for any development solely on the basis that such development fails to conform with any requirement for off-street parking.&#8221;</p> <p>Rep. Joe Zullo (R &#8211; East Haven) said those kind of policies are an override of local authority.</p> <p>“The people who live there, who grew up there, who work there, you know, perhaps are elected by their towns, of course they&#8217;re going to know their towns,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Decisions are always better made locally.”</p> <p>The bill does other things like build mobile showers and laundry trucks across the state, ban hostile architecture that targets unhoused people, award grants for transient-oriented communities and set a number of affordable units in each municipality.</p> <p>“Housing is a tough committee,&#8221; said Rep. Antonio Felipe (D &#8211; Bridgeport). &#8220;We only get so much for time and we might as well do a lot of good with it.”</p>

I’m PACKING MY BAGS for an ALL NIGHT DEBATE

<div class="xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs x126k92a">I’m packing my bags for an all-nighter at the State Capitol to defend local zoning control and to oppose House Bill 5002 tomorrow, May 22nd if it’s called!</div> <div></div> <div><iframe loading="lazy" title="Rep. Zullo Packs His Bags for an All-Night Housing Debate" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Agb1rHsbyPo" width="315" height="560" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <div></div> <div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a">At 2:45PM today, the Connecticut House majority dropped a 90+ page bombshell zoning bill on the public that demands towns create thousands of new units of affordable housing, regardless of how much land they have and, instead, based solely on how much taxable property they have in their towns. It deprioritizes grant funding for towns that refuse to create transit oriented development, it eliminates minimum parking requirements on zoning applications, and it reduces transparency by making it harder to protest changes to zoning regulations. Imagine a new 24 unit development getting approved next to YOUR house with NO parking requirements and NO public hearings. It can happen if HB 5002 passes on May 22nd!</div> <div></div> <div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a">Contact your mayor, your town leaders, and your state representatives and tell them to stop this insanity and vote NO on HB 5002!</div>